Atonement and Salvation from Sin Archives

Atonement without a Temple: Maccabean Martyrs and Yeshua

Christians often say, “Jesus died for your sins,” a statement that may seem at odds with Jewish beliefs about how our sins are forgiven. But what if I told you that Hanukkah reveals a deeper connection, showing that there is a concept in…

What are the Ten Days of Repentance?

According to the Jewish prayer book for the High Holidays (the machzor), “Repentance, prayer, and charity can avert the severity of the evil decree.” According to Jewish tradition, on Rosh Hashanah, God opens up two books in heaven: the…

What Is the Good News?

Atonement and Salvation from Sin, Common Questions, Today's Difficult Problems, Yeshua

The Jewish apostle Paul once wrote, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Gentile” (Romans 1:16). This same Paul, a devout Pharisee and once…

Is Jesus the One for Me?

Atonement and Salvation from Sin, Reasons to Believe, Yeshua

A casual read through the Bible will show that Jesus was sent by God for all of humanity, but especially for Jewish people. We learn the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:1–17) and see that he was not only Jewish but a descendent of both David…

Why Do We Need a Messiah?

Atonement and Salvation from Sin, Common Questions, Messianic Prophecy, Yeshua

All you have to do is flip through the latest news to see that all is not right in the world. The nature of news, of course, exaggerates the negative side of life to boost ratings. But this exaggeration cannot hide how corrupt this world has…

Are Heaven and Hell Real Places?

Atonement and Salvation from Sin, Bible, Theological Issues

In the modern world, we are unaccustomed to talking about Hell as a real place, and if we speak about Heaven, we often assume that it is the default destiny of all human beings. However, if you do any kind of reading or studying of the Bible…

Suffering and the Existence of God

Atonement and Salvation from Sin, Belief in God, Common Questions, Problem of Evil, Reasons to Believe, Theological Issues

As Ellis Goldstein watched the police car enter his driveway, he braced himself for the bad news. The officer handed Ellis the driver’s license of his seventeen-year-old daughter, Heather, regrettably informing him that she had just died in…

How Does Sin Affect My Relationship with God?

Atonement and Salvation from Sin, Reasons to Believe

Scene: Jerry Seinfeld at Confession Catholic Priest: Tell me your sins, my son. Jerry: Uh, I should mention that I’m Jewish. Catholic Priest: Well that’s no sin. Jerry: Oh, good. — Seinfeld, “The Yada Yada” If we…

Does Morality Point to God?

Atonement and Salvation from Sin, Belief in God, Common Questions, Contemporary Issues, Problem of Evil, Reasons to Believe

One morning, I sat looking out my window and noticed something that I had never seen before. A spider had caught a large fly in its web and was slowly making its way to its prey. The fly violently tried to escape, shaking the web, but to no…

What is Atonement?

Atonement and Salvation from Sin, Theological Issues

Atonement is not a particularly popular word in English, but perhaps you are familiar with Yom Kippur, which means Day of Atonement. It is a time when many Jewish people fast and pray, seeking God’s forgiveness. In everyday speech, the verb…